Toothbrushing is one of the most common methods of removing unwanted material, such as plaque or the like, from the surfaces of one's teeth. Brushing generally involves a vigorous movement of a brush over the teeth, often accompanied by the application of water, toothpaste, abrasives, or the like.
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a normal adult dental arch 10 contains incisors 12, lateral incisors 14, canines/cuspids 16, first bicuspids 18, second bicuspids 20, first molars 22, second molars 24 and third molars 26. Each tooth includes a root section 30 located beneath a gum line 32 to be embedded in bum 34 to support a crown section 36 thereabove. Each tooth also includes enamel 38 which is a hard structure covering the crown and which is generally resistant to abrasive wear, and dentin 40 which is a calcified tissue forming the main bulk of the tooth as well as cementum 42 which is a relatively thin surface covering the root section of the tooth. The crown section extends from the gum line to top surface 44 which is the occlusal surface for the molars and is the incisor ledge for the cuspids. For the purposes of this disclosure, the height of the crown will be taken as that distance between the gum line 32 and the top surface 44; the incisors will be taken as the anterior teeth with the cuspids, the bicuspids and the molars being taken as the posterior teeth.
As can be seen from FIGS. 1-4, the orientation of the teeth of a normal adult dental arch varies widely from transverse to a centerline 46 to extensive therewith. Additionally, the size and shape of the teeth vary from large and ovoid to small and conical.
Such variety in orientation, size and shape creates several problems for a brushing procedure. Such problems include difficulty in orienting the toothbrush to most effectively clean all surfaces of each tooth, reaching all the teeth, brushing the teeth without damaging or traumatizing the gums, and the like. Accordingly, the art contains many different types of toothbrushes.
However, most prior toothbrushes, while somewhat effective, in removing material from the crown section of a tooth, generally do not clean at or below the gum line. Since some gum diseases and tooth decay can be caused by residue trapped between the gum and the tooth at or just beneath the gum line, this deficiency may require use of another device, such as a high pressure water spray unit, to facilitate a thorough cleaning of the teeth. Such requirement may be inconvenient, costly and time consuming.
Still further, an effort to clean one's teeth at or below the gum line using prior toothbrushes may not only traumatize the gum, it can also cause toothbrush abrasion. Toothbrush abrasion is an unnatural wearing away of teeth due to incorrect brushing habits, and is generally seen as grooves in the crown near the gum line. A typically abraded tooth is shown in FIG. 5 wherein a groove 46 has been formed due to overly vigorous brushing, perhaps with a hard brush.
Thus, it is usually recommended that a tooth brushing procedure use a soft brush and omit the use of abrasives or strong polishing materials.
However, following these recommendations may result in inadequate cleaning, especially at or just beneath the gum line.
Therefore, there is a need for a toothbrush which will fully and thoroughly clean all surfaces of all of the teeth in a normal adult dental plate in an easy and expeditious manner and will also facilitate cleaning of teeth at or just below the gum line, yet will do so in a manner which will not create a significant possibility of tooth abrasion.